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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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Poopoohead said:
Which RMC has major structural issues?
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Steel Vengeance, the ride was late opening all three days we were at Cedar Point and there were maintenance staff in cherry pickers replacing track etc. I understand this is a frequent occurrence on SV in that parts of the structure have to be replaced more often than you would expect.

Untamed at Walibi Holland was also reported to be closed due to structural issues by Loopings just months after it opened.

In other news, this picture has surfaced online today;


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Nice aerial shot I haven't seen before here:

v8shbtW.jpg

Almost certain it's 2002 because of the bolded points below. The giveaway would be seeing South car park, just out of shot that was built on for the Big Blue in 2003.

Things to spot on a Sunday Morning - jumping all over the photo, sorry not sorry.
  • Just out of shot is the green stepped entrance to Noah's Ark
  • Superbowl still operating, with the 'Magic Tap' fountain, demolished after the National fire in 2004
  • Maxim Arcade stretching from the south of the Flying Machine to the National gulley
  • Cableway towers still standing, with an every more rusty steel rope
  • Grand Prix operating with original cars, before electrification (2003)
  • Italian Job, with rooftop Mini
  • Spin Doctor, with the original booms (a lattice design, replaced by a more solid one in 2003).
  • Convoy & Impossible - also new in 2002
  • Swamp Buggies - forever switching between cash and ticket, as I recall
  • KitKat Radio - before becoming whatever it is now, alongside Gold Mine and Monorail Central Station
  • Wild Mouse
  • Buffet Car diner at the North end of the Revolution
  • Astro Swirl (then Millennium Bug), beneath the Dome
  • 'Middle' Pepsi design on the Big One cans, alongside the cash desks - unused at this point
  • Rib Shack diner alongside original Bean St (formerly Cresta Cafe, News Cinema, Novelty Cinema?)
  • Beaver Creek - with the thinnest house in the world, Roller Coaster, Candy House and no Fruit Shoot (2003)
  • Circus Clown 'drum' next to Candy House
  • Revolution in full Barr regalia
  • Alpine Golf in Avalanche footprint
  • Unused dive pool in the Avalanche footprint, Big Apple coaster to arrive on that site in 2003
  • The Tom Sawyer Rafts located next to the final run out on the Log Flume
  • 'South Dodgems' on the Bling / Sky Force pad with VK Stage for nauseating talent show
  • King Cotton operating under Space Invader
  • Turtle Chase still chasing - cabins alongside used for balloon storage, among other things
Also, it's easy to forget how many ticket offices there were across the park, you couldn't walk very far without having the opportunity to buy another book - even here, three years after the introduction of the wristband.

They were still spending - a lot. Not only were ride additions more frequent, you could genuinely go two weekends on the bounce and see something new on the second. I remember distinctly the Viking Horned ticket office in front of Valhalla looking like the one next to the Revolution loop just a week prior.

There was definitely a sense of continuous improvement at that time. If someone had an idea that management liked, chances are the huge Pleasure Beach staff had someone who could make it happen and it happened.

I wish I had been more careful with all the photos I took back then - hard drive failure etc. Poor form, Rick. Poor form.
 
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That’s an awesome aerial pic. One of my faves. There’s a site called Webb Aviation I think where a guy took loads of great aerial pics, including amazing ones of the sprawling log flume layout. From memory it costs a small fortune to purchase one of his prints which is a shame as I’d love to have some on the wall
 
Dipper_Dave said:
That’s an awesome aerial pic. One of my faves. There’s a site called Webb Aviation I think where a guy took loads of great aerial pics, including amazing ones of the sprawling log flume layout. From memory it costs a small fortune to purchase one of his prints which is a shame as I’d love to have some on the wall
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Yeah I've heard of them. I have a book on railway stations, the photos of which are from their gallery.
 
Agreed @Dipper_Dave - there are some great photos on there, some head scratchers too as I recall. I think there's one centred on the Space Invader roof, perhaps for the HVAC enthusiast communities. Not sure I could negotiate the hanging of said prints in any room other than my office.

I've not long since finally worn my good lady down enough to allow the hanging of this downstairs - I was warned it was far too big and in hindsight it probably is, but it's pretty cool, to me. Not to her, though, as I keep being reminded.

EJDzyWF.jpg


She's on a hen doo in a few weeks and I'm planning further installations, but have already concluded a Grand Prix car in the dining room will likely be frowned upon.
 
@Rick love the framed park map. 1996? I’ve got a giant fold out map from around 1994, not the standard paper one, the one on really thick paper that almost feels like table cloth material. Might put this up on the wall sometime but already have 2 framed Lord Lichfield prints up from the earlies 90’s in the bedroom.
 
Dipper_Dave said:
@Rick love the framed park map. 1996? I’ve got a giant fold out map from around 1994, not the standard paper one, the one on really thick paper that almost feels like table cloth material. Might put this up on the wall sometime but already have 2 framed Lord Lichfield prints up from the earlies 90’s in the bedroom.
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That's what this one is, strange material, not sure what it is. This one is blank on the back but I think I have another which is double sided, day view on one side and night view on the other. Not sure what year that one is from.

I was thinking it was 1994/1995 as no Go Karts on there, just the Egg Scrambler. I am thinking I at one time decided it couldn't be 1994 but not sure why now.
 
Rick said:
That's what this one is, strange material, not sure what it is. This one is blank on the back but I think I have another which is double sided, day view on one side and night view on the other. Not sure what year that one is from.

I was thinking it was 1994/1995 as no Go Karts on there, just the Egg Scrambler. I am thinking I at one time decided it couldn't be 1994 but not sure why now.
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I think this is the one I have. It has Egg Scrambler on. What a name for a ride. A Twister remains one of only 2 rides that has made me physically sick. Evil spinning machine of terror. Flamingoland, back in the day. At least I didn’t throw up on my friends’ shoes that time. Think my map is same both sides but has no colour on one side, almost as if they expect you will colour it in yourself. I haven’t been bored enough to yet. Perhaps in closed season!
 
Ah it might be the same as the one I mentioned, I haven't been through that box for a few years.

Egg Scrambler became Tagada at Pleasureland, right?
 
Dipper_Dave said:
Yeah must be right. Makes me feel sick just looking at this horrific machine. Once and never again
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From the Pleasureland marketing pack that I've dug out.

"The Tagada is a traditional “twist” style ride, and consists of a rotating central column and four arms, each with a rotating column that holds three seats. The circular action of the seats combines with the rotation of the column to create a triangular motion, with the cars momentarily stationary at the furthest point of their swing, just before whipping back past the centre section. The ride arrived at Pleasureland in 1997, before this it was the Egg Scrambler at Blackpool Pleasure Beach."
 
And dippy, the Velvet Coaster was Lucky Star amusements, still lots of images of it, and it was the main building used in the drama series Blackpool, they knocked out lots of the interior walls for the lighting and camera cables for shooting the series, then spoons took it over after the film crews left.
Possibly.
 
Where did Spin Doctor actually go? It's misreported everywhere that one of them went to Pleasure Island and re-opened as Hydro Max - but that isn't true as Hydro Max was brand new from Fabbri and for the 2006 season co-existed with Spin Doctor.
 
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